(MENAFN- The Peninsula) New Zealand's Roman Van Uden yesterday topped the time trial on the opening day of the Tour of Zubarah pushing UAE challenger Yousif Mirza to the second spot.
The 26-year-old - riding for Carbon Wheels - clocked a time of 5:03.01 over the 3.9km track laid out at Aspire Zone.
Mirza, the defending champion at Tour of Zubarah, was just 1.27secs slower than Van Uden while Primoz Roglic of Slovenia finished third fastest (+ 1.84secs) in windy conditions.
"It was a late start in the evening, fairly dark," Van Uden said when asked about a recap on the day's proceedings.
"The course had good lights but it was rough ride on the cobblestones. It made for a solid ride. It was fairly interesting at the last few corners," he added.
"I knew that my finish was pretty good. I am happy to win," Van Uden said.
"It will be tough (the rest of the race). There are time bonuses at the finish each day but I will be lucky to keep the ride together for the sprints," the tall Kiwi added.
"Hopefully I can get some bonuses but it is going to be harder the next few days," he said.
"I know there's always a lot of wind. It should be interesting," the Tour of Sharjah winner said.
"It is a brand new team - Carbon Wheels. It is a brand new bike shop in downtown Doha. Yeah, they have just opened in the last couple of weeks," he said.
"They are a good team. They ride and train in Doha," Van Uden added.
Mirza, who rode for the UAE team last year, has switched to Team Giant GMS (TGG).
"I am happy to be here again in Doha," Mirza said recalling his win last year.
"This circuit is not flat. We did a good time. I am very happy," Mirza said.
"Tomorrow, the real Tour starts. It you win a stage, you get 10 seconds. I hope me and my team, we do well," added the rider while declaring himself completely ready for the race.
"I am fully fit. Every rider has prepared well. You know the Tour of Zubarah has grown in just one season. The riders look forward to being here," the UAE national said. "You can see that teams are from Europe and some riders are from Asia. There are three sides from the UAE," he said.
"I am happy with my new team. They have been sponsoring me for the last three months. I hope I can fetch good results for them. It is a one-year contract. I hope to continue with them," he said.
Today the riders will start at Madinat Al Kabaan in the north of the country and end 120kms later in Dukhan.
The second stage will start from Al Shamal Sports Club and end at Madinat Al Shamal tomorrow.
The third and the final stage will be held on Saturday.
The riders will complete a total distance of 363.4kms over the four stages.
The main sponsors of the race are Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) and Qatar Museums.
The Tour of Zubaraha is entered on the UCI Asia Tour calendar and the event is registered as a class 2.2 event.
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